Europe: In brief (1)
01 November 1992
EC: abolition of borders? The EC has formally recognised that the suppression of internal borders will not take effect by the deadline of 1 January 1993, as planned. The date will depend on putting in place all the "compensatory" measures on which the abolition of borders rests, to keep criminals, terrorists and immigrants out of the common European space. Progress on these measures is slow: the signing of the External Borders Convention (see Statewatch Vol 2 no 4) is still blocked because of the continuing dispute between Spain and Britain about Gibraltar, and the Dublin Convention on asylum-seekers, signed two years ago, is at present ratified only by three of the twelve (Britain, Denmark and Greece).
Denmark: the President of the Danish police trade union, 'Politiforbund', Mr T A Thomsen has protested against the setting up of Europol. The union, he said, was in favour of police co- operation but not the creation of an EC police force. He also said Danish participation, which was being led by the Foreign Ministry, was contrary to the legal position after the rejection of the Maastricht Treaty. The Danish government is now proposing that they should be allowed to opt-out of the law enforcement clauses of the Treaty as part of constructing an acceptable revision.
Agence Europe 10.9.92; Guardian 28.10.92.
BISS information exchange: groups in Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and Statewatch in the UK are co-operating to produce a quarterly newsletter to exchange information on the development of the European state. It contains a listing of reports, documents, books and articles, the group holding each item and the languages it is available in. All the subject areas in Statewatch are covered. The initiative was taken at a conference in Berne, Switzerland in June when it was realised that each group was getting access to often different sources of information.
Copies of the BISS newsletter (four times a year) can be obtained from: Statewatch PO Box 1516 London N16 0EW for £2.00 a year.
European Information System: the European Information System (EIS) which is being set up under the External Borders Convention (which has yet to be agreed) is to hold a computerised list of people not to be allowed to enter the EC (see Statewatch, vol 2 no 4). It is seen as a first step towards greater police co- operation and judicial co-operation. According to confidential minutes, prepared by the UK which currently holds the Presidency of the EC, the EIS has "to set up a single information system based on the Convention applying the Schengen Agreement" and "the system should be devised swiftly, taking a pragmatic approach". It also recognises that yet another inter-governmental convention between the 12 EC states will have to be agreed and ratified.
Minutes on form of agreement in the European Information System, 29.6.92.